Things You Never Knew You Needed: A Life-Saving Toilet

The second item in our list of things you never knew you needed is the "toilet snorkel," a device that, in the case of a fire, would allow the user to access (fresh?) air from the sewer.

In 1981, citing a rash of recent hotel fires as his impetus for the invention, William O. Holmes patented a device that would attach to a toilet and allow trapped individuals to access fresh air.

Inserted through the water trap, the toilet snorkel permits hours of extra breathing time, preventing death by smoke inhalation. A charcoal filter attached to the snorkel ensures that the air is free of toxic impurities.